3: .............i | iii | ACKNOWLEDGEMENT | Thanks to my family for putting up with my spur of the moment photo shoots and leaving them home to fend for themselves for a morning an afternoon and sometimes overnight. Thanks to my girls Ashley and Elizabeth for watching our two Golden Retrievers, Cooper and Mikko. I would especially like to thank my fiancée Kevin for having the patience and adventurous spirit to take these crazy journeys with me. Finding the waterfalls was not an easy task. Sometimes we would find them right down the trail after just a short hike, sometimes there would be dangerous trails that took us up cliffs or climbing over rocks that hung out over the river, other times the trails were just frustrating dead ends after miles of rugged hiking and never finding what we set out for. Minnesota is a beautiful state covered with dense forests, lakes, streams, creeks, walls of flagstone, limestone, pipestone and sandstone. We discovered parts of Minnesota that we never knew existed. Along our journeys we stayed at historical hotels and Bed and Breakfasts. All in all the exploration for the waterfalls were a true exciting adventure. | Mary, Kevin, Ashley, and Elizabeth

4: WATERWAY | LOCATION | Minnehaha Creek makes it's leisurely, scenic tour of the city from Lake Minnetonka to the Mississippi River and showcases some of the prettiest areas of town along the way. The creek concludes it's journey in dramatic fashion at Minnehaha Falls Park, just up stream from the Mississippi. Camouflaged behind clusters of dense green foliage, Minnehaha Falls bursts off of a slice in the vertical cliff walls and thunders 53 feet to a large pool. As you stroll along the parkway, you will find beautiful foliage in spring and fall, as well as historical markers. | Minnehaha Creek | MINNEHAHA FALLS | Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis at Minnehaha Avenue and 48th Street Minneapolis, MN. | 1

5: 2

6: 3 | HIDDEN FALLS (St. Paul) | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Unnamed waterway is fed by an underground aquifer. | Hidden Falls Regional Park of St. Paul, along Mississippi River Boulevard on the western border of downtown St. Paul near Ford Parkway. St. Paul, MN. | Hidden Falls Regional Park, part of St. Paul's park system since 1887, is a narrow ribbon of river-flat lowland and dense woods along the shallow banks of the Mississippi River. High rugged bluffs on one side and the Mississippi River on the other. Concealed in one of the folds in the bluffs at the northern entrance to the park is the small waterfall after which the park was named.

7: 4

8: 5 | SHADOW FALLS | LOCATION | Unnamed | River bluff adjacent to Summit Avenue and Mississippi River Boulevard. ST. Paul, MN. | WATERWAY | A tiny creek determinedly makes its way through the neighborhoods of St. Paul to Mississippi River Boulevard, where it falls into a dense stand of oak and maple, then tumbles off a small, half-moon cliff into a hidden gorge. It is an impressive waterfall after such innocent beginnings as a petite creek, which is all but invisible to the buzz of life upstream.

9: 6

10: 7 | SAINT ANTHONY FALLS | WATERWAY | MISSISSIPPI RIVER | LOCATION | At the Stone Arch Bridge in Downtown Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN. | Minnesota has a long storied history with Saint Anthony Falls. The only significant waterfall on the Mississippi River, visitors today can enjoy a double-decker treat, the falls and the Stone Arch Bridge. Although heavily modified over years and even a man-made look to them, Saint Anthony Falls is still a handsome highlight to downtown Minneapolis and the inviting rivers-edge scene. Head out to the middle of the Stone Arch Bridge for the best view of the falls, sliding in a long line over a concrete apron creating swift current rapids.

11: 8

12: 9 | MARINE MILL FALLS | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Mill Stream | Marine on St. Croix Marine on St. Croix, MN. | Nestled in the folds of the western banks of the St. Croix River, Marine on St. Croix is an enchanting little hamlet with a firm grip on its proud history. Many town buildings still serve as originally intended and remain in impeccable condition along Judd Street. An interpretive trail and overlook in the woods adjacent to the stream's waterfall provides a look at the remains of the stone foundations that was once a mill and offers information on the village's history. Area topography here is beautifully rolling with dense woods along the St. Croix, a National Wild and Scenic River. Many streams course through the trees in wide ravines and lush, narrow gorges. The spring fed Mill Stream casually flows into town, briefly ducking out of sight and emerging from a big drain tunnel beneath Judd Street in a vigorous cascade. Water spreads wide from the tunnel and stair steps down a jumble of rocks, collecting briefly in a quiet pool, then concludes its journey with a short skip to the St. Croix River

13: 10

14: 11 | FAIRY FALLS | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Silver Creek | Just north of Downtown Stillwater Stillwater, MN. | The steep bluff landscape of the St. Croix River Valley exudes a comfortably rugged beauty, with hills of dense forest and dales of grassy meadows. Hidden beneath the canopy of woods, tucked in the folds of the bluffs, are magical secrets not visible from the surface that can be discovered by an adventuresome spirit. One of these lies in a deep gorge at the northern fringe of Stillwater. Silver creek winds a relaxing route through quiet fields and forests upstream, and rolls almost in slow motion over the brim of the gorge. Fairy Falls whispers enchanting tales in delicate tendrils, falling gently between vertical flanks of corrugated rock to a deep pool below.

15: 12

16: 13 | BIG SPRINGS FALLS | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Kettle River | Banning State Park Sandstone, MN. | Banning State Park is a long and skinny waterway surrounding a quarry and a ten mile course of the Kettle River, one of Minnesota's wild and scenic waterways. Big Springs Falls is just south of Sandstone's quiet neighborhood. From the trail head on Pine Avenue, a narrow dirt path through a sherwood forest and dense foliage leads to an overlook of the falls. Big Springs is a gentle water fall spreading nearly the entire span of an extra wide section of the river. The "main" waterfall tumbles five or six feet in the shadow of a huge table of horizontally stacked rocks with stately pine trees perched on top. The attractive falls may be small in stature, but there is much activity with the water darting in different directions and the balcony view is the best seat in the house.

17: 14

18: 15 | WOLF CREEK FALLS | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Wolf Creek | Banning State Park Sandstone, MN. | Wolf Creek meanders through the woods on the outskirts of the park, carving through a crowded hardwood forest to its confluence with the Kettle River. The water falls in a sheer white veil to a tranquil pool, surrounded by aged boulders with full beards of moss. The timeless passage of the falls has exposed streaks of rust-colored rock close to the pool, and huge ferns gaze with arched brows at their reflection. This place is mystical and seductive, like a dream, and all sense of time seems to vaporize here. Settle in and let the soft touch from the falls massage your soul, and before long you will be free to walk right into a daydream.

19: 16 | ****FRONT COVER****

20: MINNEOPA FALLS | WATERWAY | Minneopa Falls Minneopa Falls State Park Mankato, MN. | LOCATION | 17 | Amongst a landscape of oak, savana, hardwood forest, grassland, and river floodplain Minneopa State Park offers a variety of attractions to compliment the scenic falls,including a vigorous wildlife population, hiking trails and picnic areas. The Dakota Indians made a home in the area of the present-day park, and Minneopa in their language means "water falling twice." Minneopa Creek curves lazily past sturdy historic stone buildings in the main picnic area and drops over a short ledge, swirls and eddies a bit around scattered rocks, then plunges about 40 feet into a deep sandstone gorge. The waterfall tumbles elegantly in a wide veil, with a stronger surge at one side fading to transparent veins at the curve of the gorge. Dense fall foliage of maple and oak forest line the ridge along the top, and vibrant-green moss and ferns drape the cliff slopes. An easy hike from the picnic area to the bridge leads to a nice view of the smaller more elegant upper falls, and a path continues along the top of the gorge for a greater look at the roaring main falls and to the plunge pool below.

21: 18 | ***BACK COVER***

22: UPPER MOUND FALLS | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Mound Creek | Blue Mound State Park Luverne, MN. | 19 | Blue Mound State Park is wedged way down in the southwestern corner of Minnesota in a land of big skies and endless horizons. The park is home to 1,500 acres of prairie and grassland, upon which graze a herd of buffalo. The waterfall is located just past the campground down a short paved path which leads to the dam at the southern end of Upper Blue Mound Lake. The dam was completed in 1937, along with another just a short way downstream. These dams are responsible for creating Upper and Lower Mound lakes, and the upper dam has become a picturesque waterfall. Unlike a massive concrete wall such as the Hoover Dam, this one is a hand-cut stepped spillway surrounded by mature hardwoods on high ground adjacent to the dam, and determined clumps of tall grasses and other water-loving foliage in the creek below. The water falls from the lake down to the ledges of the dam in thin veils to a collection of flat slabs of red rock at the base, where the creek flows freely again toward the lower lake.

23: 20

24: WINNEWISSA | FALLS | LOCATION | WATERWAY | Pipestone Creek | PIipestone National Monument Pipestone, MN. | 21 | Situated among the Pipestone quarries held sacred by Native Americans for hundreds of years, Winnewissa Falls appears out of place in the rolling, treeless prairie of southwestern Minnesota.The creek follows a serpentine forest of oak and cottonwood, winding through a vast sea of grass, and in a gust of moving water tumbles gently over a bluff of pink quartzite into a shaded glen of jumbled boulders. The appearance of the waterfall has changed in an effort to increase the acreage available for farming upstream. The top eight feet of the rock at the brink of the falls were blasted away in the early 1900s, changing the original appearance of the waterfall. Winnewissa, a Sioux term for "jealous maiden," remains an inviting destination. To reach the waterfall, we can follow the Circle Trail from the west doors of the visitor center which passes the base of the falls and includes a short loop to the crest. The one mile of paved trail is an easy walk and includes great views of native tall grass prairie and pipestone piled high atop one another.

25: 22

26: REDWOOD FALLS | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Alexander State Park Redwood Falls, MN. | Redwood River | 23 | The city of Redwood Falls owns enviable bragging rights as home to two handsome waterfalls, both right here in Alexander Ramsey Park. The Redwood Falls cascades into a deep gorge just inside the park's entrance, and is viewed most easily from the pedestrian bridge that traverses the Redwood River just above the crest of the falls. Just after passing beneath the bridge, the river drops three feet over a smooth, concrete apron, then crashes ferociously into a single, massive boulder, which splits the torrent in two for its final 12 foot drop into a broad, swirling plunge pool. On one side of the boulder, the river catapults directly downward in a frothing jet of white water, while on the other the current takes a 90-degree turn to slide gracefully across the face of the rock before twisting back downstream for the final drop to its base.

27: 24

28: Ramsey Creek | Alexander Ramsey State Park Redwood Falls, MN. | WATERWAY | LOCATION | RAMSEY FALLS | 25 | The creek follows a lazy line to the outskirts of town, scrunches into tight oxbows, and squiggles into Alexander Ramsey Park. Here the creek rumbles, roars, and plunges in a 45 foot waterfall into a rugged, wooded ravine, staking claim as the distinctive centerpiece of the park. Named for the first governor of the Minnesota Territory, this is the largest city park in Minnesota and boasts native wooded areas that have never been cut or used for pasture, being utilized as a picnic area and park continuously since 1886, including nearly fifty years as a Minnesota State park. While Ramsey Falls is the main attraction of the park, a series of hiking trails access numerous other interests while meandering up and down the bluffs above Ramsey Creek and the Redwood River.

29: 26

30: VERMILLION FALLS | 27 | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Vermilion River | Along Highway 61 in Downtown Hastings, MN. | The Vermillion River flows lazily through sprawling suburbs, open fields of corn and soybeans, and past clusters of grain silos bordering hard-working farmsteads. The river whispers into Hastings, its current barely making a ripple, and suddenly comes to life in a thundering, frothy water fall at the Conagra Mill, roaring over the crest and crashing 50 feet to a deep pool at the bottom of a wooded gorge. Hardy foliage grows in dapples of green from impossible locations on the vertical limestone walls of the gorge, providing miniature habitats for birds and high altitude feeding stations for bees and other airborne creatures. This rugged chasm in nonetheless a beautiful place, filled with thick woods of maple, ash, cottonwood, and cedar.

31: 28

32: PICKWICK FALLS | 29 | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Big Trout River | In the tiny Village of Pickwick 8 miles southeast of Winona, MN. | The dramatic rolling bluffs and forests of southeastern Minnesota above the Mississippi River Valley are magical, and nestled in one of these folds in the hills is the charming Village of Pickwick. One of the first settlers in this valley, George Grant, took a look at the waterfall on Big Trout Creek and rightly surmised that this would be a fine place for a mill. With the help of Wilson Davis, a grist and saw mill was constructed on the banks of the creek using materials from the surrounding area. Limestone was extracted from nearby quarries, forming the stately exterior of the six-story saw mill. In 1980 a violent flood roared through the valley and destroyed the damn spillway, causing significant water damage to the mill. In the later part of 1980, restoration efforts on the mill started in bringing the mill back to its current historic brilliance. The waterfall outside the mill is a lovely little tumble over a small, craggy limestone cliff. A small pond collects the creek water below the falls, then slowly flows away from town betwixt two giant bluffs covered with dense strands of hardwood forest.

33: 30

34: NIAGARA FALLS | 31 | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Mysterious, unnamed underground stream | Harmony, MN. | One of Minnesota's most unusual waterfalls is found underground in Niagara Cave and forms the centerpiece of tours through this spectacular labyrinth of limestone passageways. Formed by a combination of fractures in large limestone formations and subsequent erosion by water, the passageways traveled on the well-lighted tour through Niagara Cave twist, turn and traverse over 600 steps, yet are tall and wide enough to offer comfortable walking on broad, flat pathways and boardwalks. In the lowest reaches of the cave, a small stream enters the passageway, tumbling through a series of miniature rapids before disappearing beneath the artificial walkway, then reappearing as the walkway enters an immense chamber with a domed ceiling seventy feet above. Here, the stream emerges from immediately under the walkway and plunges 60 feet over a sheer cliff into a bowl-shaped cavern below.

35: 32 | 33

36: ROOT RIVER FALLS | 33 | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Root River | Lanesboro, MN. | Lanesboro is tucked into a pastoral pocket of the Root River Valley in the southeastern corner of Minnesota and is one of the state's most beautiful towns. It is considered to be one of the top 20 Best Dream Towns in America. To top it off, there is an especially pretty waterfall in town, in a typically unlikely location. As the South Branch of the Root River bends past the southern environs of Lanesboro, it spills over an aged dam constructed of cut stone. The dam is wide and spreads the falls into an elongated veil across the stone. Cracks and holes in the stone create tributary spouts of water that blend with the main, free falling sheets, and the falls appear as groups of hovering, gray ghosts. The river floats calm and wide below the dam, meandering on through town to join the Root's main channel and continue to the Mississippi.

37: 34 | 34

38: HIDDEN FALLS (Nerstrand) | 35 | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Prairie Creek | Southeast of Northfield Nerstrand, MN. | Hidden Falls is nestled in a deep, wooded valley in one of the last remaining stands of "Big Woods" vegetation in Minnesota. Rolling hills are blanketed with dense, old-growth hardwood forest of Ash, Sugar Maple, Elm, and Basswood. Originally close to five thousand acres in size, these woods were under imminent threat by logging saws during the 1930's, but by the 1940's preservation-minded people worked toward establishing the land as a state park. Within the park is a wonderful abundance of wildlife, and over 50 varieties of wildflowers. Prairie Creek flows through the northern half of the park, across a bed of Platteville Limestone that was once the floor of an ancient shallow sea. Glacial melt-water spent eons cutting through a 150 foot thick layer of glacial drift to the horizontal stratum of limestone. As the creek meets a stack of flat, mossy rock ledges, a thin curtain of water pours gently over the edge to a shallow pool about ten feet below. It is a soothing waterfall, where a big boulder near the stream's edge is perfect for sitting and just listening to the water sing.

39: 36 | 36

40: LITTLE CANNON FALLS | 37 | WATERWAY | LOCATION | Little Cannon Falls Creek | At the Mill Street Bridge in Minnieska Park Cannon Falls, MN. | This pretty multi-tiered waterfall is directly below Mill Street in Cannon Falls, at the end of the Little Cannon River's sojourn from spacious farmland near Nerstrand, through the rolling bluffs of Sogen Valley, and into the mellow bustle of Cannon Falls. Rolling, wooded hills and busy farmsteads surround this friendly town, and the scenic Cannon River winds through it. The first drop of the falls is a five-foot wide, white grin of rapids stair-stepping over boulders and flat rock ledges. After the main plunge, the waterfall evolves into a gentle sloping ramp of lively riffles, streaking the coffee brown river with highlights of white. A stubby limestone cliff on the west bank is crowned with a thick pelt of tall trees, with grasses and other shrubbery poking up here and there on sandbars below the falls. The river rages in muddy torrents during spring melt and heavy rains, offering a whole new perspective on the generally placid stream, but it presents itself best through the summer and fall.